Multicultural Affairs

Diversity and Engagement Survey

Diversity and Inclusion have been vital components of the University of Mississippi Medical Center's vision and mission for many years. As the only academic medical center in the state, we have a responsibility to connect Diversity and Inclusion to all that we do, which is reflected in our institutional pillars of research, education, patient care, diversity, and eliminating health disparities.

Just as the state of Mississippi contains a tremendous amount of diversity, so too does our institution. This comes in the traditional forms of age, race/ethnicity, and gender, but also across occupations and practice areas, thinking styles, etc. Whether you contribute to the education of students, provide care to patients across the state, or hold any other role, the diversity of our community is an important asset that will drive the work we do over time. Our daily interactions with others in the medical center contribute to our collective success on many levels. We recognize that no matter how we contribute within UMMC, all of our perspectives and engagement are important.

To that end, in 2011, our university along with 13 other academic medical institutions took part in the Diversity Engagement Survey (DES) sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Participating academic institutions included Boston University School of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School,Duke
University School of Medicine, Florida State College of Medicine,
Indiana University School of Medicine, University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, University of
Illinois College of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences
Center, University of Vermont College of Medicine, and Marshall
University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

The DES provides data on an institution's level of employee engagement, its inclusive characteristics, and the degree to which diverse groups experience inclusion. The DES has value as an instrument for assessing the academic medical center's environment through the lens of diversity and inclusion, in addition to engagement.